Soggy Segways 24th July 2015
7 of us in total were up for the Segway Challenge - Yup, Anytime Tone, Jaycee, Pedro, Granpop Bill, Roadrunner and Benson
Roadrunner and Benson met at Cannock whilst Sean of the Amey Wameys and 2 Pie Hard Dave met us afterwards at Stone.
As the time approached for the pick up from the Westbury, who should walk in but none other than Richee from Abu Dhabi just to say hello,,,, and goodbye. On a flying visit Richee declared he'd be back at Xmas and would catch up on the mystery. Sadly that'd be 3 weeks before he was due to return, but hey ho.
The taxi was on time so we waved bye bye and headed off for Cannock. However, there were long delays on the A34 due to road works. The delays were recorded by Jaycee who would be having a stern word with the Contractors the following morning.
As we waited for the green lights, Tony confirmed he'd also been given the green light after finally receiving the results from his head scan. They confirmed they couldn't find anything. It was a no brainer !! More tests were required though to find out what was causing the ringing in his head every Sunday morning at ten from the direction of the church.
Benson and Roadrunner dropped us off in Stafford at The Sun Inn, thank you chaps; where Sean was found at the bar, and Hard Dave was found sitting at table 9, having supped 3 pints of grolsch, a glass of wine, 2 pints of Thatchers Gold cider and a coke while he was waiting; allegedly. Someone else must have bought them for him!!
It was suggested we had an annual July do in Stafford, organised by Jaycee to help spread Yup's load. The motion was carried and the July do was christened 'Jaycee's Jolly July Jaunt'. Doubts appeared however when Mid week Tone mentioned that since Jaycee's last do in Stafford, both the pie and peas bar and the Greek restaurant which we'd been to had since closed.
After catching our breaths we wandered along to the Wetherspoon's picture house for a short while, then continued along the flooded paths beside the river. There was obviously something wrong with the design as there was more water flowing along the paths than there was in the river…. Sean of the Amey Wamey's would have to investigate.
Confirmation that the Greek restaurant on Doxey Road had shut was clear to see when we found that it had now become the Simply Bilash indian.
We were ushered into a separate cubicle away from the locals where Granpop Bill and Jaycee immediately nutted the picture on the wall for luck which came crashing to the floor.
After a brief intro and a further reminder to read the rules and regulations again we were provided with a fully charged Segway. At £5.5k each we were told to treat them with respect. One at a time we carefully, but quickly, stepped on to them and meandered around a small training course. After mastering the basics we set off into the woods like a group of kids on their newly acquired bikes following the instructor's path. As confidence grew we sped up to a max hair raising speed of 7 mph and it became more like a scene from Wackey Races - neep neep.
Surprisingly there were no near crashes or falls except for Roadrunner, who narrowly avoided a multiple crash and almost certain death when Anytime Tone came to an abrupt stop for no apparent reason in his path. Considering they had no brakes it was a difficult manoeuver.
We sped on through the chase and across an open field, which, said Benson, 'was likened to a scene from Jurassic Park'. Well, I had to admit, there were plenty of old fossils to be seen in it. The hour's session, at £40, was soon over and the Chief Gorilla handed out our achievement certificates. It had also remained dry throughout so we couldn't have asked for more.
Cobras were ordered, as is the norm, although Pedro sent his back to be topped up by 0.003mm.
Starters were ordered, as is not the norm; but then it was Jaycee's choice of indian restaurant so as one or two opted in, the rest followed. The final bill was £21 including a tip and extra after eight mints, surprisingly acquired by Pedro; who else. We were very well looked after, and the food was most enjoyable.
We found the bus stop but had missed the last bus by 15 minutes. 'They've changed the timetable since I last caught one, claimed Jaycee .… A taxi was ordered at around £8 each.
Perhaps the July do should be renamed from 'Jaycee's Jolly July Jaunt' to the 'let's miss the bus again on Jaycee's Jolly July Jaunt'. Other suggestions welcomed of course.
Cracking day out yet again.
Cheers
Yuppers
(enjoy yer Sunny Segways)
Our taxi finally arrived at Cannock just on time and we settled the fare at £9 each. There was no time to waste as the instructor hustled us into the adjacent training area as Benson arrived, just 10 seconds late.
Everyone got togged up with obligatory safety helmets and their waterproofs as rain showers were forecast. Well, there was always a slight chance I suppose.
As we had plenty of time, according to Jaycee, we called in for a quick one at the Market Vaults.
Hard Dave slipped off to catch his train but we discovered later that he'd missed it. He caught the next one but then missed his bus connection and had to get a taxi home.
Pedro pulled a couple of blokes but caught our eye as we tried to slip off without him. Sean settled in for another before heading off to his nearby home.
